@ADOBEUK

News, views and musings from the Adobe UK team

Mark A’Bear, UK Education Manager, Adobe UK responds to the publication of the new national curriculum for computing which aims to teach children between the age of five and 16 to code

“Adobe welcomes the government’s publication of the new national curriculum for computing, which aims to teach children between the age of five and 16 how to code. This is a positive move that will not only help to increase student engagement, but also provide young people with the digital creativity skills needed in today’s workplace.

Our own research tells us 67%* of educators across the UK believe that creativity in education is vital to fuel the economies of the future, yet despite this 65% of teachers believe they can be doing more to teach this affectively, with 61% saying they feel the current education system is stifling them. Furthermore, 69% of teachers pinpoint having access to more tools and techniques as being the number one way they can teach creativity more effectively, further highlighting the need for schools to invest in the latest technologies to help support their staff.

We work with schools, such as Chalfonts Community College in which technology and digital skills such as coding plays a central role in helping to drive creativity in its students. For example, they rewrote the traditional art specification to include digital media – from animation, digital imaging, film game making – to help students learn creative skills which influence their approach across the curriculum. Through learning complex digital skills such as coding, they not only saw an increase of attainment increase, but an increase of student engagement too, in particular with previously disengaged boys.

The government review of the computing curriculum is certainly a step in the right direction towards creating a more creative learning environment, but the next step will be ensuring students are given the right industry standard tools to work with. It’s therefore up to institutions to increase student access to technology, which will in turn give them a freer rein to express their creative talents.”